Road-vehicle.



1%. 729,586. PATBNTED JUNE 2,1903.

B. a. HOFPMANN.

ROAD VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. 1903. N0 Monm. 2 SHEEN-$111131 1.

WIT/(885.51 .M/VE/VTOR.

MIL-W PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903.

E. G. HOFPMANN.

ROAD VEHICLE. APPLICATION mum 141.14, 1903.

NO MODEL.

, WITNESSES.

llhirirno STATES Patented iltm 2, mos.

PATENT Carlos,

soAo-vsHlcLl-i.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 729,588, dated June 2,1903. Original application filed July 9.1901 Serial No, 67,585. Dividedand this application lilod Harsh 14 ,1909i Eel-lid No. 147,705. (110model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNST GUSTAV Hons- MAN N, a subject of the GermanEmperor, residing ate Lyncroft Garden's, West Hampstead, in the countyof Middlesex, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in.Road-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, being adivisional application from that filed by me on July 9, 1901, underSerial No. 67,585.

It has'heretofore been proposed to steer all four wheels ofroad-vehicles from hand-steering devices, so that the steering of thevehi-' ole may be properly effected. According to this invention it ispropose to steer the wheels of a truck or bogie from the car-body orplatform automatically, so that the truck portion will follow the movementof the car-body or platform as the same is moved either by beinghauled by another propelled vehicle or motive force or by the movementof the front or rear part of such car-body or platform, if the same islong enough to be provided with a suitable engine or motor.

In the accompanying drawings are illus trated one form of the invention.

Figure l is a side elevation of car-body or platform adapted for roadtraction, having a driving and. steering truck and a trailing trucksteered in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view lookingfrom the left hand, and Fig. 3 is a plan.

The front truck or bogie asnpports thatend of its platform or car-body band is handsteered or driven by a suitable motor in any convenientway,-as same does not form part of this invention. Although described asthe front truck, such truck a may be the rear one if the vehicle is tobe pushed instead of pulledw The rear truck or bogie 0 supports its endof the ear-bodyor platform by means of rolld (I, carried on the underside of the lattor and adapted to rest and move on arcs e on thetruck-body. On its under side the platform b carries a central pivot pinor shaft f, keyed or fixed thereto, which is connected to a shaft h by asliding or telescopic joint g to allow for vertical movement caused bycom-- pression of the ,truck spring's, the part ofthe shaft h enteringthe joint 9 being lz'eyed to it, so that it may turn therewith. Theshaft h extends to and terminates in a 'be vel gear wheel i, engagingwith a similar wheel on the shaft 70, which carries at each end arms ZZ, from which run rods m m m m to the short axles of all fourwheels,which are jointed in a manner (which does not form part of thisinvention) thatas the'rods mare pushed or pulled the wheels will beseparately steered.

By these means a deflection oi the car-body or platform 6 will partlyrotate its pivot pin or shaft f, and so through telescopic joint 9,shaft h, and bevel-gears j will "rotate shaft it, thus moving arms Z androds m and steerlog all four wheels, such movement taking placesimultaneously with the movement of the body I), so that the truck andwheels immediately follow the movement of said body whether it isproduced by the action of the front truck or whether it is a separateplatform or car which is being pulled by a motor, the steering of thetruck being equally desirable in both cases.

.It will be understood that, the pin or shaft f need not necessarily bea central or pivot pin as long as it is arranged to be rotated by theturning movement of the platform portion a, which may be done bysuitable gear ing, by racks, or in other ways.

The invention, broadly stated,-'co nsists in utilizing the relativeposition of the platform to the rear (or front) truck to cause such rear(or front) truck to follow themovement of the platform.

What I claim is-- In a vehicle the combination with a leading truck andmeans for steering and driving same, of a trailing truck and meanscarried by the vehicle-body and operated by the movement of same forsteering all the wheels of said truck.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnessesl ERNST GUSTAV HOFFMANN.

Witnesses:

A. Kmonr CROAD, GEORGE I. Hawaii's.

